Hersey's Fesl migrates to Ohio State for senior season
Excelling in the classroom as she always has, Abby Fesl will graduate this spring after only three years at the University of North Florida, where she has also served the past three seasons as the Osprey's setter.
Now she is ready to set up shop in a new program.
She has committed to play for Ohio State University and pursue her graduate degree in sports management.
In her final match last fall against Jacksonville in the opening round play of the Atlantic Sun Championship, Fesl had 30 assists and 12 digs.
"I am thrilled to continue my career at Ohio State," said the former Daily Herald all-area honorary captain who is finishing her degree in mass communication at North Florida. "The opportunity to play in the Big Ten is second to none. The coaching staff and the players welcomed me, immediately."
Fesl, the 2012 co-honorary captain of the Daily Herald all-area team, is looking forward to her final season of college volleyball.
"I loved Columbus," she said of her visit. "The area itself is beautiful and the atmosphere on campus is incredible. I am excited to play my senior year as a Buckeye."
When Abby gets to Ohio State, it will mark the fourth Division I school where a Fesl has played volleyball. Abby's oldest sister Megan played at Notre Dame and her other sister Annie set for Cincinnati. The girls' mother, Joanie, played the sport at Iowa.
Eckhardt to Augustana
Prospect senior Teddy Eckhardt announced he will run for Augustana coach Paul Olsen in Rock Island.
Eckhardt won Prospect's Spirit and Omega Awards as a member of the track and cross country programs of coaches Frank Mirandola and Mike Stokes, respectively. His personal bests include a 16:48 3-mile in cross country, a 51.7 in the 400, 2:01 at 800 meters and 4:37 in the 1600. He's also run a 1:28 in the 600 indoors. He competed for the Knights' 4x400 and 4x800 relays as well.
Eckhardt will be joining a Viking track & field program that owns 16 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outdoor titles and is the 2016 CCIW indoor champion.
Women's golf
Illinois State sophomore Kiley Walsh (Prospect) finished in a tie for fourth place at the John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate at Eagle's Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Georgia. The Redbirds finished in 12th place shooting a combined score of 938.
Walsh fired a third-round score of 71 and ended with a total score of 220 (77-72-71).
"Kiley conquered today," said ISU women's golf head coach Darby Sligh on the school's website. "She earned every bit of her top-five finish. I am excited to see her tee it up again next week and continue her run.
"(As a team) we had small breakthroughs that just didn't pan out. We have to keep building and go out and work harder than we have ever worked in the next three weeks left in the season."
Men's' track
North Central sophomore Adam Poklop was named to the Academic All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin list for the 2015-16 indoor track and field season.
Poklop, a two-time Academic All-CCIW honoree, finished the indoor season with a third-place finish at the CCIW and the Chicagoland Indoor Championships.
Softball
Wisconsin-Oshkosh sophomore Sara Brunlieb (Rolling Meadows) was named named pitcher of the week in the WIAC.
Appearing in five games in Florida, Brunlieb compiled a 1-1 record with 2 saves and a 0.33 ERA in 21 innings pitched.
Brunlieb, who completed two of the three games she started, scattered 15 hits, struck out 16 batters and allowed just 1 earned run. She held opponents to just one extra-base hit (double) and a batting average of .190.
• Maryville senior Alex Flasch (St. Viator) is hitting at a .341 clip with 5 home runs through the Saints first 28 games.
• Rochester Community Tech freshman Samantha Hogan (St. Viator) was named pitcher of the week in the MCAC's Southern Division.
Hogan recorded 3 wins for the Yellowjackets striking out 28 in her 15 innings with a 1.13 ERA.
Hogan helped her cause by batting .687 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI.
• St. Norbert freshman Gina Mastrodomenico (St. Viator) led the Knights on the Florida trip, hitting a team-high .333 through their first eight games.
• Illinois Wesleyan freshman third baseman Julie Josten (Fremd) hit her first collegiate home run and had 3 doubles during a doubleheader sweep of Lake Forest.
The Titans are off to a 7-3 start and nationally ranked in Division III.
• Three former Mid-Suburban League standouts homered when Whitewater defeated Carthage 10-6 in the first game of a doubleheader in Clermont, Fla.
Carthage junior Kristine Herdegen (Fremd) hit a 2-run homer in the first inning and freshman teammate Hailey Rothstein (Conant) blasted a solo shot over the centerfield fence in the sixth inning.
Whitewater freshman Nikki Mikosz (Wheeling) had a homer in the third inning.
Women's basketball
Saint Louis University sophomore point guard Jackie Kemph (Rolling Meadows) was named Associated Press All-America honorable mention.
She is the first player in Billiken women's basketball history to earn All-America status.
The recognition is the latest in an impressive array of honors for Kemph, who led Saint Louis to an Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season co-championship, the WNIT round of 16 and school record for total victories (26).
Kemph was selected A-10 co-player of the year - the first SLU women's basketball player to earn a conference top-player award - and became the first Billiken to garner first-team All-Conference accolades since Theresa Lisch in 2009. She also was named to the national All-High Major first team by the website College Sports Madness (CSM).
"Jackie is one of the finest point guards in the nation and led our team to a record-breaking season, so this honor comes as no surprise," said Billikins coach Lisa Stone on the school's news release. "She is very deserving of this prestigious award."
Kemph led the Billikens in several categories including scoring (16.6 ppg, third in the A-10) and assists (7.0 apg, first in the A-10, third in the nation).
Baseball
Former Barrington baseball standout John Trautwein, who graduated from Northwestern in 1984, will be at the Wildcats' baseball game against Michigan on Sunday, April 3 in Evanston.
Trautwein will celebrate his 'Will to Live' Foundation Day to raise awareness of teenage suicide and its prevention.
"As part of our giving back program, the senior players have chosen the Will To Live Foundation as this year's charity," said Northwestern baseball coach Spencer Allen. "We are very excited to be hosting "Will To Live Day" at our beautiful new park."
The game begins at 1 p.m.
Trautwein is the founder of the program. He was a co-captain of Northwestern's 1984 team that finished second in the Big Ten to Michigan. He will be on hand to address the teams and spread the Life Teammates message at his alma mater.
Trautwein, who has kept extremely close ties to his teammates at Northwestern, is excited to be a part of this fun event.
"Northwestern baseball has been a huge source of inspiration for the Will To Live's 'Life Teammates' message," he said. "So many of my great friends from my Northwestern Days will be on hand for a fun weekend of baseball, friendship and hope.
"These 'life teammates' of mine were instrumental in helping shape the foundation's vision of getting the teens and young adults of today to recognize the true love they already have in their friends and teammates.
"Thus, having a 'Will To Live Day' at Northwestern is quite special for me, my family and all the kids of 'Will To Live.' "
Women's track
•Augustana freshman Ashley Talken (Wheeling) completed her first season with the Vikings by placing eighth on the school's all-time list for the indoor vault (10-8).
• North Central junior Tori Capozziello (Schaumburg) was named to the CCIW Academic All-Conference team after her third year on the indoor track team.
Capozziello has earned Academic All-Conference for three straight years and broke the North Central record for the indoor 600 meters with a time of 1:40.16 this season
She was also a part of two relay teams that placed at the CCIW Indoor Classic, earning a first place finish with the distance medley relay and a third-place finish on the 4-by-400 meter relay.
• North Central freshman Hailey Dammeier (Wheeling) also earned CCIW Academic All-Conference honors.
She set a season best of 5-3 in the high jump, which was good for a first place finish in the event at the CCIW Indoor Championships.
Dammeier was also a part of the distance medley relay at the Indoor Championships, which earned first place at the meet.
Wrestling
North Central senior James Ford (Prospect) was named to the CCIW Academic All-Conference team.
Ford wrestled 17 matches this season, finishing with a 7-10 record at the 197-pound weight class.
Rugby
The Arlington Stallions began their 2016 Rugby Illinois League season with a hard-fought 17-14 victory over defending state champion Morton High School.
After a four-try first half, the game turned into a defensive struggle during a rain-soaked second half.
Both teams had to defend their lines for sustained periods.
Lightning halted play with nine minutes remaining when the Stallions seemed to take control of the flow of play.
Shortly after play resumed, Ohio State-bound Spencer Krueger (Hersey) went off on a 30-meter run which took the play deep into the Morton end and forced a Morton penalty.
Brandon Onori (Prospect) then slotted the penalty kick for the deciding 3 points.
"Morton was every bit the championship side they were last year," said Stallions coach Paul Bergman. "They attacked us very hard for the entire 70 minutes and our side, to a man, played great defense under heavy pressure to win a game that could have easily gone either way."
The Stallions announced the selection of juniors Matt Moroniak (Hersey), Joe Fasolo (Hersey) and Alex Gountanis (Prospect) to the Illinois all-state side which is scheduled to travel to South Africa this July.
A fundraiser to support the tour will be held on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m. at Peggy Kinnane's restaurant in downtown Arlington Heights.
• Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com.